13. So has water been found on Mars?
Yes and no. Scientists have been so anxious to find water on Mars that there have been several times that they have published evidence that there is water on Mars; however, new research shows that their enthusiasm may have been a bit overreached. There is evidence that there was water on Mars in the past, likely large amounts of water. Furthermore, there are probably trace amounts of water in the Martian atmosphere.
However, there is nothing substantial today, especially not enough for life as we know it. So what happened to Mars’ water? Some of it froze and is at the Martian polar ice caps, though much of that ice is frozen carbon dioxide. A lot of it may have evaporated into space, given that the Martian atmosphere is probably too thin to hold it. Scientists believe that the Martian atmosphere was once much, much thicker than it is today.